Fading, Fading
by Laura x Tennant
Summary: The stars are going out. Space comes apart. Time unravels. And. Jump, jump. Not too impossible; not really. He was wrong. Bad Wolf: a warning. A message, to lead him here. She's back. The stars are going out, remember. And so she's back to hold his hand.


**Fading, Fading**

Stars.

_Blink blink blinking _out of existence.

Run.

She wants to go home.

Perhaps she can.

...

Time unravels.

And.

_Jump, jump._

Not too impossible; not really.

He was wrong.

...

There's a whisper; almost silence.

There's the sweep of the hands _tick tock tick tock_.

She is standing alone. So very alone. Waiting.

The stars are going out and there's everything to do -

but she can't do it alone. She waits.

There's a beat of a heart _ba boom ba boom._

And he's there.

In the _blink blink _of some watching eyes she sees him. Wants to reach for him.

She can't.

She fades away

_too quick too quick._

...

She stands by a woman, who tells her _that bin there_

And walks away, unknowing that the _vworp vworp _is there, just there.

She doesn't turn the corner,

Or follow the ginger-haired woman.

She turns, sadness,

_Blink blink, blinking_

back tears.

And fades away.

...

Calls his name.

He doesn't hear.

Too far away

_too far too far._

She fades again.

...

Hurts. Everything hurts.

Stars in her eyes now, and not in the fun way.

_Drip drip; _there's blood.

But she's not giving up.

Grits her teeth, ignores the pain.

Walks on, and –

Fades.

...

Tired. _Yawn yawn. _

So very tired.

But persistent.

She'll get to him, one day. She knows she will.

Just got to find

Right place right time

When Time unravels;

And that's not here.

_Sigh sigh, _

she turns and fades.

...

She looks right at him, and he sees her

_Gasp gasp ohmygod_

But it's not time, yet.

She has to leave.

Right place, right _man,_

Wrong time.

_Too soon too soon._

She lets him believe he's hallucinating again

As she walks away.

_She's always walking away._

...

She's always walking away.

Can't help it, she doesn't want to; she has to.

Wrong time, again.

She lets him think he's crazy. Lets him think he's imagining, just like usual.

Doesn't speak, though she longs to say his name,

See if those syllables still come out the same way,

Or whether she'll lose her voice and just _cry._

Bites her lips, sets her jaw,

And backs away, fading.

She hates it that the last thing she often sees is her Doctor,

With tears in his eyes.

Disappointed that his mind's making her leave so soon.

...

Rewind. Fast forward.

Past. Future.

Bits in between.

This Earth that Earth each and every damn bloody Earth...

Never right. Never where she wants to be.

Well. At least it's a habit she's learned from him.

And so she's a little closer.

She still fades.

...

So hard. _Exhausting._

But she keeps on trying.

_Someone's got to._

...

(Another glimpse; he thinks he's dreaming,

Wonders if he'll ever get over her.

Ever stop missing her,

Ever stop _seeing _her, even when she's not here.

Knows he never could.)

She still walks away.

...

Time unravels.

Pastpresentfuture_blink_couldbeover_he'snothere-wait!_

_Footprints._

Feet pounding the ground as she _runs runs runs._

_Quiet breath, softly softly._

Sharp, slow, scared.

She can't quite get there, not in time.

_I came so far._

This isn't right.

Wrong place, _must _be,

And _definitely_ wrong time.

He can't be –

He _isn't._

Because she's come so far.

Oh.

Hang on.

_She's_ here again. Yes!

_She's_ the Key.

...

_Doctor, Doctor!_

He can't see

Can't hear her.

Bad timing

again.

...

She arrives in a world that has been created around a woman (_she's the Key!)_

and she shouldn't be here.

No one should.

Takes on his role, she does, and tries to help.

Talks sense, but lots of nonsense too.

Time travel.

She works it out.

Gets her to the right place right time (weelll, _ish.)_

And whispers two words in her ear.

She crosses her fingers that Donna Noble is as brilliant as she knows she is.

Hopes to God she passes on her warning.

_Bad Wolf._

Her message to lead themselves home. Him and her.

The universes are ending, and they _have_ to face it hand-in-hand -

They just have to;

or she thinks she might have to cry again.

...

Finally, finally, _finally! _

Right place. Right time. Horrendous circumstances, Daleks and all, but _still._

She beams. Wants to throw her gun to the floor, but can't quite be bothered as she just looks at him.

_Fantastic!_

Standing there, alive, so so so _alive._

_Brilliant!_

Looking at her like he can't believe it.

_Molto Bene!_

Like he can't trust his eyes, like normal, and yet, she sees her too, does Donna, so she must be there this time, she _must _be.

She watches him run to her, hope and joy and _love _etched onto the features of his face.

She runs just as fast.

Heavy breath, beating hearts

_Gasp. Ba-boom ba-boom. Tick tock tick tock. Too late – too late!_

She looks to her side, away from his eyes and -

_EXTERMINATE_

Her heart contracts as she watches him fall.

Not now. Oh no, not after all this time, all this effort, all this _fear and hope and joy and bloody love..._

She can't lose him. Not ever, and least of all now.

She's meant to be with him forever.

_Rose._

_Long time no see._

But she's been busy.

And he can't die. He can't.

She doesn't want him to. He _can't._

(So he won't)


End file.
